EFL Cup: Nick Pope send message to Newcastle United supporters after win over Southampton | OneFootball

Nick Pope has thanked Newcastle United’s fans for the support that they illustrated during last night’s clash with Southampton in the EFL Cup.

The Magpies sealed a place in the final of this competition by beating the Saints 2-1 (3-1 on aggregate) at St James’ Park yesterday.

Newcastle made a stunning start to this clash as Sean Longstaff opened the scoring in the fifth minute by firing an effort past goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

A superb team move resulted in the Magpies doubling their advantage as Miguel Almiron teed up Longstaff who slotted home from inside of the area.

Southampton pulled a goal back via a strike from Che Adams in the 29th minute and were denied an equaliser in the second-half by Pope who produced a smart stop to prevent Adam Armstrong from scoring against his former side.

Bruno Guimaraes was then shown a red card in the closing stages of the game for a challenge on Samuel Edozie.

The Saints were unable to set up a grandstand finish as Newcastle held on to book a trip to Wembley Stadium.

In a video shared by after this game, Pope shared a message with the club’s fans.

The England international said: “Hello Mags, a quick message just to say thank you for helping us to get over the line tonight.

“I look forward to a Wembley final, so I can’t wait for that.

“A big thank you to Sean Longstaff for scoring the goals, what a man you are, thank you.”

The Verdict

Pope once again stepped up to the mark for Newcastle in this competition by producing a crucial save to prevent Armstrong from scoring.

In the first leg of this clash, Pope denied Adams on two separate occasions as he claimed a clean-sheet at St Mary’s Stadium.

When you consider that the keeper also produced heroics in Newcastle’s penalty shoot-out victory over Crystal Palace in the third round of the EFL Cup, he deserves an enormous amount of credit for this particular run.

Regardless of whether the Magpies face Manchester United or Nottingham Forest in the final on February 26th, they will be confident in their ability to win a major trophy for the first time since 1969 as they are currently flying under the guidance of manager Eddie Howe.

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